Sustainable Stories

Emissions-free Lawn Mower now in use at McMullen Museum

Emissions-free, robotic lawn mowing has now arrived at Boston College. Michael Collins and Charles Baldwin, Supervisors for Landscape Services, have overseen the transition from gas-powered lawn mowers, starting at McMullen Museum. 

There are three parts to the Husqvarna Robotic Lawn Mower - a charging station, a reference station, and the robotic mower itself. Collins and Baldwin walked the Office of Sustainability through the setup. The reference station sits atop the museum facing Commonwealth Avenue, while the charging station is located next to a flower bed near the entrance. Baldwin says that the Husqvarna Exact Positioning Operating System, or EPOS, “utilizes satellites to ensure the mower stays within virtual boundaries that are defined using a mobile phone.”

​The mower is extremely low noise, eliminating the loud disturbances that typically go hand in hand with the maintenance of lawns. Additionally, the mower is battery-powered, meaning that the mower produces no direct emissions as opposed to gas-powered lawn mowers. According to the EPA, gasoline-powered lawn equipment emits around 242 million tons of pollutants each year, as much as cars and homes. Additionally, more than 17 million gallons of gasoline are spilled each year when refueling these lawnmowers, leading to the degradation of soil. Conversely, the Husqvarna Lawn Mower creates a healthier lawn and soil by recycling grass clippings directly back into the turf, which acts as a natural fertilizer. They also have safety features covered - there are sensors that cause the lawn mower to stop, reverse, and go in another direction when near an object.

​There are currently 2 million Husqvarna lawnmowers at work around the world, and Baldwin hopes for “possible expansion of this technology to Lower Campus and Newton Campus.”